Safety light



March/2', 1926.

SAFETY LIGHT Filed June 11', 1923 2. Sheets-Sheet l /N- VE N TOP. WALKf/P B. L/SHEIP. Y

ATTORNEYS.

March 2 1926.

v w. B. LISHER SAFETY LIGHT Filed June 11,' 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mm Mr UNITED STATES 1,574,982 PATENT OFFICE.

WALKER BLAINE msum, O11" MARTINEZ, CALIIQBNIA.

' sum mom.

Application filed J'une 11, 1923. Serial No. 844,546.

1 '0 all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, WALKER B. LIsHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Martinez, county of Contra Costa, and State of California, have invented new and-use ful Improvements in Safety Lights, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety lights of the type shown and described in my appl cation, Serial No. 613,390.

Such safety lights are applied to the lefthand side of an automobile or other vehicle at or near the bottom thereof for the purpose of illuminating the side of the roadway and for indicating to approaching vehicles a guide or clearance line whereby to avoid collisions. Such a light as is shown in my prior application contemplates the projection of a beam of light outwardly and downwardly so as to illuminate a field at the side of the vehicle and also projects rays of light forwardly and rearwardly. in a horizontal plane, the rays projected forwardly being passed through a lens or glass of one color and the rays projected rearwardly being passed through alens or glass of a different color. j

The object of the present invention is to sim lify and improve the construction, op-' eration and assembly of a lamp of the character above indicated.

In the present application I have provided ahousing of neat appearance formed with a protecting guard to prevent mud thrown by the wheels of the vehicle from spattering on the glass or lens covering the light-emitting apertures. Provision is made for throwing a beam of light outwardly from the vehicle through the bottom aperture and novel reflecting means are provided for casting an image of the lamp through the diagonally extending apertures at each side of the housing. Other im rovements are embodied herein and will e apparent from a further understanding of the invention.

One form which my invention may as-' sume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in the accompanylng drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 hows a perspective view of a portion of the vehicle fitted with my improved safety light.

Fig. 2 shows a plan view in section of the li ht.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical'sectional view of the light.

I diagonally extending front walls 15, each of which is formed with a light-emitting aperture 16. Where the front and rear diagonally extending walls meet the housing is formed with a vertical flange 17 extending entirely around the housing. The flange at the top serves as a means to secure the housmg to a running board 18 or bottom frame member of an automobile between the front and rearwheels thereof. When in position on the vehicle the rear part of the housing extends beneath the frame or running board of the vehicle, while the front part projects outwardly therefrom. The flanges at the ends and bottom of the housing serve as mud guards. the flange towards the front wheel being preferably of greater length than the one at the rear on account of the fact that most of the mud reachingthe housmg will be thrown by the front wheel.

' In the bottom of the housing immediately in front of the flanges 17 I provide a lightemitting aperture 19, preferably rectangular in shape and closedby a white glass which is removably held inplace by a clamping plate 20. The lamp 12 is positioned to the rear of this bottom opening in order that the light rays which pass therethrough will be projected outwardly and downwardly so as to strike the ground at some distance from the vehicle, as indicated in Fig. 1. Inasmuch as the lamp is thus set back from the longitudinal center of the housing I provide means for reflecting its rays outwardly through the diagonally extending a erture 16. This means preferably is in the orm of two concave reflecting baflies- 20 positioned at the juncture of the two diagonall extending walls 15. One of these ba es is arranged in position to reflect the ima e of the lamp outwardly through, the l1ghtemitting aperture which is disposed towards the front of the vehicle, and the other baflle front of the vehicle 'with a glass or lens of one color, preferably green, and the lightemitting aperture which is disposed towards the rear of the vehicle is provided With a lens or glass of a different color, preferably red or orange. Thereby occupants of passing vehicles can readily determine the direction of movement of the vehicle on which my device is employed, and, at the same time, no blinding rays of white light will be thrown horizontally in their direction.

As a means of holding the glass or lens in place in the diagonally extending lightemitting apertures I provide top and bottom channels 21 and a removable corner post 22. This corner post is held in place by a screw or bolt 23,- and, when detached, the glass may be slid into place in said channels. Preferably the channels are made wide enough for the thickest glass and a spring leaf 24 is placed in each channel to press against the glass and hold it against rattling.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a safety light of neat appearance and which may be readily attached to the running board or bottom portion of the frame of a vehicle between the front and rear wheels, and wherein provision has been made for protecting the light-emitting apertures from mud thrown by the wheels of the vehicle; that provision has been made in the device for casting light rays of one color horizontally towards-the front of the vehiele and light rays of a different color horizontallyrtowards the rear of the vehicle, and at the same timecas'ting a field of white light upon the ground some. distance from the side of the vehicle. The device as shown herein is simple and easy to construct and assemble and the glass or lens therein may be readily removed and replaced in case of breakage.

In use I prefer to employ an operating circuit for the lamp which is separate from the usual lighting circuit of the vehicle, so that the same may continue to function in case anything should interfere with the operation of the headlights or tail-light of the vehicle.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described may be employed without departing from the spirit of my inven tionas disclosed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat entis:

1. A safety light for automobiles and sim-' through the aperture in the other side wall,

the apertures in said side wall being fitted with colored media so that the horizontal rays may serve as signal or warning lights.

.2. A safety light for automobiles and similar vehicles for attachment to one side of the vehicle frame or body at the bottom .thereof between the front and rear wheels,

comprising a housing having converging side walls projecting outwardly from the side of the vehicle, the side walls and the bottom of the housing intermediate the side walls being formed with light-emitting apertures, a source of light in the housing positioned with respect to the bottom aperture to cast a beam of radiating rays downwardly and outwardly from the vehicle, a concave reflecting baffle within the housing and forwardly of the bottom aperture to project rays of light forwardly and horizontally through the aperture in one side wall, and asecond concave reflecting baflle in substantially the same vertical plane as the first battle and adapted to project rays of light ting apertures, 21 source of light in the housing, a light-emitting aperture in the bottom of the housing positioned with respect to the source of light so as to cast a beam of radiating rays outwardly and downwardly from the vehicle, the diagonally extending lightemitting apertures being fitted with colored media and acting to project signalling or warning rays horizontally and to the front and rear of the vehicle.

4. A safety light for automobiles and similar vehicles for attachment to one side of the vehicle frame or body at the bottom thereof between the front and rear wheels and comprising a housing having a portion projecting from the vehicle and fitted with light-emitting apertures at each side and at the bottom thereof, and a flange Surrounding the housing back' of the light-emitting ape-rtures and serving as a guard to protect the said apertures from mud spattered by the wheels of the vehicle and serving also as a means for attaching the said light to the side of the vehicle;

5. A safety lightfor automobiles and 'similar vehicles for attachment at one side of the vehicle frame or body at the bottom thereof between the front and rear wheels, comprising a housing having a substantially horizontal triangular portion projecting outwardly from the side of the vehicle, the base of said triangular portion being adjacent the vehicle and with its apex outwardly from the vehicle, each of the curved con- ,verging wallsiof said triangular portion be ing fitted with a light-emitting apertur'e, a

' lens fitted in each of said light-emitting apertures, guides. in which the lenses slide, said guides permitting the lenses ,to be inscrted from the apex of the triangular portion, and a removable retaining member at the apex of the triangular portion for retaining said lenses in place.

6. A light of the character described comprising a'vertical shield or plate, a housing mounted thereon and having a substantially horizontally extending triangular portion projecting from one side thereof and fitted with light-emitting apertures in each of the converging vertical walls of said triangular portion and in the bottom and a portion of 'the housing projecting from the opposite 'ing a source of light, and reflecting means within the housing to cast rays forwardly through one "ertical aperture and rearwardly through the other in a substantially horizontal plane.

' 8. A light of the character described comprising a vertical shield or plate, a horirontally disposed housing mounted thereon and having asubstantially triangular portion projecting outwardly from one side thereof, the converging walls of said triangular portion and the bottom thereof being tormed with light-emitting apertures, a portion of the housing projecting on the opposite sides of the shield or plate and carrying a source of light, the bottom aperture in the triangular portion of the housing being positionedwith relation to said source of light so that the rays therefrom will be cast laterally and downwardly.

WALKER BLAINE LISHER. 

